The Cursed Bender
by Kid Klip
Summary: Cursed with a power he never chose, a young man will face his destiny..and ultimately decide the future of the rest of the world. Will he save it, or crush it with the very power he was cursed with. Naruto Namikaze, is the Cursed Bender.
1. Prologue

**The Cursed Bender**

A/N Now I know you guys are pissed. You should be, I have been gone for a LONG time. I'm sorry, personal things have come up, and I really hope you guys can understand. Anyways, in my time gone, I have decided to work on this story alone. I took up too many things, and had no time. So I'm sorry. I hope you can forgive me, and give this story a chance. I will see this through!

Anyways, its a NarutoxAvatar cross, I hope you enjoy it.

Warning, this will not be rated M, but it will have M scenes, and cursing. Not too much though, I'll be sure to let you know before each chapter. I do not own Naruto or ATLA.

_-Book 0:Prologue-_

_Water..._

_Earth..._

_Fire..._

_Air..._

_Long ago, the four Nations lived together in harmony...then, everything changed when the fire nation attacked. Only the Avatar, master of all four elements could stop them, but when the world needed him most...he vanished._

_ A hundred years past when my brother and I discovered the new Avatar, an Air Bender named Aang, and although his Air Bending skills are great, he has allot to learn before he's ready to save anyone...but I believe...Aang can save the world..._

_But with this tale, comes another, the story of a power that was born before even the first Avatar, the Cursed Fire._

_ Legend has it that these flames belonged to a Fire Bender who sold his soul to a dark spirit, changing his fire from a crimson red...to an empty black. The Fire Bender was cursed with power, it threatened to consume him. The people around him noticed the change and shunned him...fearing the dark flames. The man was an outcast, shunned for the very power he gave everything to obtain._

_ In his hatred, he was consumed, and became a vessel for the dark spirit. Until one day, the Avatar himself fought against the Cursed one, and defeated him, sealing his body and power in the Spirit Realm and ending the terror...or so he believed. _

_The Spirit escaped, and retreated...sleeping for thousands of years, waiting for the 'perfect vessel' to be born._

_ Finally, on October tenth, he was indeed born, he was named Naruto...Namikaze Naruto. Son of a powerful Fire Bender, who fought against his own kind, searching for peace._

_ The Spirit acted, sealing itself within the child's body, granting him the power of the dark flame._

_Two people, born with a curse they never wanted, destined to fight one another, the keeper of balance, and the incarnation of chaos itself. _

_These two, along with many others, would change the fate of the worlds..._

_For better or for worse..only time can tell._

_Come, young and old, and allow me to tell you the tale, of the Cursed Bender...and the Greatest Avatar..._

_But be warned... _

_This is a tale as old as time, before even the great bender Korra. _

_And thus..the legend begins. _

_-End-_

Well, tell me what you think, feel free to bitch me out if you need too. I love you all, once again, I'm sorry, and its good to be back. I hope you can forgive me. I'm going to do this for you guys!


	2. Beginnings

**The Cursed Bender**

**Here's the newest chapter it takes place three years before the story really begins**, it also adds to some of the connection between Naruto, and various other people, enjoy!

_**-Book 0:-**_

"_Beginnings"_

"Zuuukkkoooooooo!"

A deep and cheerful voice stated loudly, the name echoing throughout the halls of the large war ship. Cerulean blue eyes glanced around the hallways searching for said person, as a tan hand ran through spiky blonde hair. The teen looked to be around thirteen years old, and wore an all black version of the fire nation standard solider uniform, with an orange breastplate, shoulder guard, and boots. The most distinguished characteristics on the blonde were the small lines that trailed his cheeks, three on each side, looking almost like whiskers.

On the other side of the large ship, dark golden eyes twitched, as a teen around the same age as the blonde growled. The left side of his face, along with his eye, being covered in bandages. The teen was tall with a lean figure, he had a long dark pony tail, and on his pale face was a fierce scowl.

He was Fire Prince Zuko...and right now, he was not happy.

Why?

Well, being horribly injured by your own father, and banished from your home would do that to a person. Now add that it had only been a week since the banishment, and you could see why he was in said bad mood.

The young teen growled as the door to his chambers was unceremoniously kicked open by the orange and black wearing blonde who was moments before searching for the exiled prince.

"There you are! Sage you're good at hiding."

Who was this young blonde?

Well, it was none other than Naruto Namikaze, long time childhood friend to the now banished prince, and now his traveling companion.

"Naruto...please. Leave me alone." the young prince mumbled, his sharp eyes, or at least the visible one, twitching as he faced the grinning blonde.

"Ah come on! You've been in here for the past week since we set sail. Old man Iroh and the rest of the crew are getting worried." the blonde stated.

Wrapping an arm around the bitter teen, the blonde placed their cheeks together and stuck his finger inside the now growling princes mouth, raising them up in an effort to make him smile.

"You gotta lighten up bro. So maybe you did get banished, but now, you have all the free time in the world. Think of it as a vacation!" The optimistic blonde glanced at his longtime friend, and grinned even wider once he saw steam literally rising out of the boys ears, a sign of his anger.

"Naruto, you have to the count of three to get off of me." Zuko spoke.

"One.."

"Hey now! Relax, it was just a joke Zu Zu."

The fire prince twitched at the nickname.

"Two."

Flames erupted around his hands, and steam rose from his mouth.

Out side of the room, a short and slightly plump old man walked towards his nephews quarters. This man was General Iroh, known through the world as the Dragon of the West. Self proclaimed lover of all things tea, Pai Sho master, and father figure to both Naruto and Zuko.

The man stroked his long and gray beard, his golden eyes staring at particularly nothing. His thoughts on a certain blonde and a dark haired prince.

"_To think that Naruto would abandon his duties to come with my nephew. What a good boy he is._"

His eyes suddenly narrowed as his thoughts drifted to the banishment, and his brother.

"_Ozai, why would you do this to your own son. To strike him with your fire is one thing, but to banish him from all he knows...its unforgivable." _

He was however interrupted by a loud cry, followed by the door to his nephews quarters being blown open, and slamming into the ships walls. A twitching and burnt blonde laying over the cold steel of the floor.

"Three." the fire prince stated as he marched from the destroyed door frame.

"Never tell me I need to get laid again!" the fire prince roared as he grabbed the still dazed blonde by the front of his armor and pulled him upwards.

Iroh smiled at the scene. "_These two really do act like brothers._"

"Ahh Prince Zuko, it is good to see you in such high spirits." The fire prince turned to his uncle, and frowned.

"I am not in high spirits uncle."

He was interrupted by the now fully functional blonde. "I know a way we could get you into high spirits." the teen spoke with a wide grin.

Zuko gave the blonde a blank stare, before palming his face and dropping him unceremoniously.

"You...are sick. We're thirteen."

"The early bird catches the worm Zu Zu." the blonde responded from his position on the ground.

With a growl, the banished prince turned to his uncle and sighed.

"What do you want Uncle?" The war hero gave a hearty smile and walked towards his nephew, before placing a hand on his shoulder.

"I just wanted to make sure you are alright Zuko, and seeing as how you had enough energy to blast young Naruto out of your room, you must have enough energy to join us for a nice relaxing cup of Jasmine Tea."

In an instant, the knocked down blonde was up, another fox like grin on his face.

"I'm down! Come on Zu Zu!"

The teen grabbed the exiled prince by his shirt and ran off, showing surprising strength as he dragged the complaining prince down the hallway, finally disappearing from Irohs vision. Iroh smiled once more at the duo, before he followed as well. His mind drifting to a memory of a younger Naruto, before he learned of the truth of his fire.

**-Five Years Ago(Fire Nation Capital)-**

_"Naruto, you most focus. Do not allow your mind to be taken over by the power, you must control it." _

_The blonde inhaled deeply, his hands rising slowly with his breath, then, he exhaled, pushing his palms forward. Iroh watched the young blonde, taking in every step and movement he made, watching for any small mistake as the blonde worked on channeling the energy within him._

_ "Fire is life Naruto, without it, there would be no warmth, there would be no light. Your fire is no different. You must learn to slowly channel it through out your body, without falling to its will." _

_The blondes eyes snapped open, and with a mighty leap, he raised his foot and landed quietly but skillfully with his right leg extended in an axe kick. Thrusting his fist forward, with his other hand cocked back, palms open, he began to move his hands in an odd form as if he was weaving through, striking quickly, his movements were agile and strong, yet accurate and deadly. _

_To an outsider, it would seem as if the whiskered teen was preforming an intricate dance._

_ "That's it. Focus the energy to the palm of your hands, let your body turn into a guide. Flow through the motions, become one with the fire within you." the war hero spoke. _

_Naruto grunted as he continued to weave through the motions, his body twisting and turning while his hands and feet struck the air. The child could feel the fire within him, yearning to be released, to explode from within him and consume everything around him. The blonde had always known his fire was different, he found out as soon as he first used it._

_ Fire was normally a certain color, ranging from orange to blue, depending on the intensity. _

_His fire...was pure black. _

_No light shined through, it seemed to consume everything around him. Almost as if it was born from hatred and hatred alone. The strangest part about it, was that it seemed alive almost. Moving by itself, burning whatever it chose to burn. The more he used it, the more he could feel his mind being taken over by something, and an unnatural blood lust coursing through him._

_ For that very reason, he chose not to fire bend, instead, he learned the ways of the sword. However, that was only a substitute, the Fire Lord had him use his fire, train him into learning how to harness it. _

_Ozai was truly interested in the blondes fire. Saying that with enough control, he could wipe an entire village out by himself. That's why he had Iroh teaching the teen. Who better to teach than the Dragon of the West himself._

_ With a loud cry, the blonde jumped high into the air and extended his hands outward, the air around him twisting from the intensity of the motions. The teen landed on a knee, and took a breath._

_ Iroh nodded to himself and approached the kneeling blonde. _

_"Excellent job Naruto, you are learning to channel the energy through you at a faster rate than I expected."_

_ Placing a hand on his shoulder, the ex-general smiled._

_ "Now then, your training is done for today. Lets go visit Zuko." _

_With a nod, the blonde quickly stood and walked with the Dragon._

_ "Say, Old Man Iroh, why do you think my fire is so different?" Iroh closed his eyes, and spoke._

_ "I do not know, there are many factors that influence the color of ones fire. Your fire is unique to you, and only you." On the inside however, Iroh sighed. _

_"__I'm sorry Naruto, it is not my place to tell you, but soon you __will know. I just hope you can understand that you are not, what they make you out to be.__" _

_The blonde sighed, and seemed deep in thought himself. _

_"I've heard rumors, people say that at birth, I was touched by a Dark Spirit, and that the marks on my face, and my fire, are proof." When he said that, Iroh tensed, his eyes narrowing. _

_"Where did hear such nonsense from?" _

_"Not sure, just things I over hear when I'm strolling around the city."_

_ Iroh gave the boy a reassuring smile. _

_"Those are nothing but foolish tales, built upon the fact that they fear your fire, and your potential. You have a fire inside of you, something they see as well, and they fear it, because they do not understand it. But I know, that even though your fire is darker than a starless night sky, your heart burns brighter than the sun." _

_The small child gave a wide grin, and nodded. _

_"Yea! I'll show them! I'll be the best fire bender ever!" _

_Iroh gave a hearty laugh. "I have no doubt in my mind you will, now then, lets hurry. I heard Lady Ursa is treating Zuko and Azula to some special Water Tribe Frozen desserts." _

_The blonde, upon the mention of desserts, and two of his favorite people, rushed off, leaving a smiling Iroh behind to chase after him._

_**-Present Time-**_

The crew laughed heartily as Naruto told them about another of his legendary pranks in the Fire Nation, the most current being the one when he painted the Fire Lords royal garments pink, with out the man noticing until he called another one of his war councils, and his men found it hard to contain their laughter.

"Oh! Thats great! No wonder he was in such a bad mood that day!" one of the men cried hysterically, the others holding their sides, the laughter being to much.

Iroh himself was giving a very hearty laugh, he too remembering the day the Fire Lord was crankier than usual.

Zuko however, had to restrain himself, while he did find it funny, he could not laugh at his fathers expense, epically after the situation he was placed in.

"Best part was, he never found out it was me!" the blonde stated with a wide grin.

"I managed to frame one of those stuck up Fire Sages. Assholes always did pick on me. They had to wash his robes for months!"

The crew exploded with laughter once more, even Zuko was having a hard time holding it in now, himself never really liking the Fire Sages, especially since they did treat his blonde friend in a very...distasteful manner.

The banished prince gazed at the still grinning blonde, his eyes softening in the sort of way a younger brother would look at an older one. The blonde had always stuck by him, even in the worst of times, when is mom disappeared, he refused to believe she was dead, and even now, when he was nothing but an exiled prince.

Having known each other their whole life, he had come to think of the strange blonde as an older brother. If anything, he was glad the blonde was with him, along with his Uncle. It would take some of the pain and loneliness away from his banishment.

His banishment...the pre-teens eyes grew cold and angry in a second as he thought about what had occurred not only a week ago, his hand unconsciously touching the bandaged area on his face.

**-One Week Ago(Fire Nation Capital)-**

_A healthier looking Zuko with both eyes visible glared at the much taller guards that blocked the way into the War Council, his eyes glanced around them for any way to enter. From behind him, Iroh placed a hand on his shoulder and smiled down at his nephew._

_ From behind him, Naruto gave the slightly younger pre teen a nod and a smile, before stepping into the War Council room, the guards doing nothing to stop him. The prince gaped at the blonde._

_ "What seems to be the problem Prince Zuko?" his uncle asked, pulling him away from the guards. _

_"I want to go into the War Chamber but the guard won't let me in, but they let Naruto in!"_

_ Iroh chuckled as he glanced at a near by General who entered the chamber. "You're not missing anything, trust me, these meetings are dreadfully boring. Naruto is allowed in because he has actually fought in the front lines before, and is being trained to become a General himself."_

_ Zuko sighed and gave his uncle a small smile._

_ "If I'm going to rule this Nation one day, then just like Naruto, don't you think I need to start learning as much as I can." _

_Iroh stroked his beard and gave a mental sigh. "Very well, but you must promise not to speak, these old folks are very sensitive you know." _

_Placing his hand on his nephews shoulder, he motioned for the guards to move, and the two entered the chamber. It was a great place, with large pillars and a detailed map of the Nations in the middle, surrounding the map were various people, some older, some younger, the mop of blonde hair that sat directly in the middle on the right side was to hard to not notice. _

_There was a wall of continuous fire, and behind that wall, was the Fire Lord himself. _

_Zuko chose to sit next to his best friend, while Iroh sat near by. _

_Naruto was surprised to see the prince, but offered a small smile non the less. _

_As the war council began Zuko grew more and more nervous, the prince glanced at his best friend too see a cold and calculating expression, it was as if the blonde was the perfect solider, his expression betrayed nothing, and he was focused on every word and detail spoken. He had never seen the whiskered teen so serious in his life. _

_Inhaling softly, Zuko schooled his expression and watched as the old generals continued to explain their tactics.__Zuko remained calm through it all, until one general stood and began to speak. _

_"The Earth Kingdom defenses are concentrated here. A dangerous battalion of their strongest Earth Benders, and fiercest warriors. So I am recommending the forty first division." he spoke as he moved a small Fire Nation piece in front of an Earth Kingdom piece. _

_One of the generals however saw a flaw in his plan. _

_"But the forty first division is made up entirely of new recruits, how do you expect them to defeat a powerful Earth Kingdom battalion?" _

_"I don't." he stated with a small smirk._

_ "They'll be used as a distraction while we mount in attack through the rear. What better to use as bait, then fresh meat." he finished with a wicked grin. _

_Most of the generals excluding Iroh, grinned at the idea. Naruto himself remained calm, but the slight whitening of his knuckles was enough to tell anyone he disagreed with the idea. _

_Zuko however, was not as quiet with his opposition. _

_"You can't sacrifice an entire division like that!" he stated quickly. "Those soldiers love and defend our Nation! How can you betray them!" the pre teen stated. _

_Naruto gave a small smile at the prince, as did Iroh. However, they quickly vanished when the fires that separated the Council and the Fire Lord grew taller, signifying that the Fire Lord, was not amused. The general who was standing quickly bowed, as did the others. _

_"Zuko..." the rough and deep voice of the Fire Lord spoke, his anger clear in every word. "You step into my War Chamber, and you dare call out against one of my Generals." the Fire Lord growled._

_ "B-But father! The troops! We can't jus-" _

_"Sacrifice is necessary in times of War Zuko!" Ozai stated, his voice low, but the power and anger it carried was enough to leave anyone in a petrified state._

_ "If you real have such a problem with these views, then you may settle this..."_

_ Narutos eyes widened as did Irohs, knowing what was coming up. The Fire Lord grew a small smirk, as did most of the others present. _

_"In Agni Kai." _

_Zukos eyes shut tightly, rage consuming his being, at himself and at his father. With a growl, he turned his head to the smirking General._

_ "I accept." he whispered. _

_"Excellent." Ozai spoke. _

_With a snap of his fingers, two fire servants stepped into the Chamber._

_ "Take my son with you, prepare him for Agni Kai." _

_The Fire servants bowed, and gestured for the still glaring prince to follow them. With one last glance at the only two people in the room he trusted, Zuko stepped out of the Chamber._

_ "Council dismissed, go prepare for tonight's event." the Fire Lord spoke. With a bow, the Generals stood and quickly left the room._

**-Present Time-**

The rest you could say, was history.

With a sigh, the exiled prince stood, catching the attention of the along with Naruto and Iroh.

"I'm tired, I'll be retreating to my quarters." he spoke

. With a quick glance at Iroh, and a silent nod, the blonde stood and made his way to the banished prince with a grin.

"I'm going with him. Gotta make sure he doesn't go off an do something stupid." the blonde stated while placing an arm round the broody teen.

The duo walked up the stairs and disappeared from the crews sight into the halls. As they made their way to the room Naruto suddenly stopped.

Zuko turned to see what was wrong with his friend, only to freeze when a pair of striking blue eyes stared into his own golden orbs.

"How are you feeling?" the pre teen asked.

"Fine, I'm doing better than before."

Giving a large sigh, the blonde placed a hand on his friends shoulder and gave it a firm squeeze.

"Ozai is a bastard, he ju-"

"Don't talk about my father like that!" Zuko roared, his lips curling up into a snarl.

"You don't know what I'm going through right now! This!" he cried pointing to his bandaged eye "This is because of my foolishness! My compassion did this too me! I have lost my name, my honor, and my home!"

With a growl, the blonde moved to face the slightly shorter Fire Bender.

"You think your compassion did this too you! You're a fool Zuko! A damn fool!" the blonde growled.

Zuko snarled even more, his face quickly changing into one of pure anger.

"This is pointless, I'm thankful for you and Uncle being here with me, but right now, I don't care about anything. My only purpose is to find the Avatar! The only way I can regain my honor, my life..is to find him."

"Zuko! Listen to yourself, you're really going to believe what the bastard of a fath-"

"Enough!"

Naruto glared deeply into the banished princes eyes.

"Whatever, do what you want Zuko. Have a good night. We head towards the first Air Temple tomorrow."

No other words were spoken as the whiskered teen turned and walked away from the exiled prince. With a growl, Zuko turned and entered his Chamber, slamming the hull door and collapsing on his bed.

From the end of the hall Iroh gave along and heavy sigh.

"_These next few years are going to be very challenging. That they are. Watch over me my son, as I try and guide these two young souls on the right path._"

Naruto stormed out from the stars and stepped onto the ship deck, the night sky was clear, and the ocean was calm. The blonde gave a heavy sigh as he made his way to the edge of the war ship, his eyes reflecting the calm ocean waters.

It truly was a beautiful night.

The teen watched his reflection in the calm waters, reflecting on the past week or so. How so much could change so quickly. The blonde thought back to his task, his 'destiny'.

He remembered Ozais words well.

"_You wish to go with Zuko and my foolish brother then? Very well. Its about time you complete your destiny. You, the Cursed Bender, are to find the Avatar with my son, and kill him, end the cycle, and bring endless glory to the Fire Nation. Do this, and your mothers location shall be revealed."_

Naruto growled and slammed his fist into the side of the ship, leaving a small dent.

For his mother, the Avatar, must die.

On this night, he will take the first step towards his destiny, as the Cursed Bender.

On this night, the legend...begins.

-End-

So what do you guys think, there will be more. Review, and let me know. Ja ne.


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